Holidays From the Heart 2010

This holiday season, VivoPools is proud to be participating in the Holidays From the Heart Program at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.  The program provides an opportunity for individuals and companies to purchase gifts for families who have children who are chronically ill and who are financially unable to provide for themselves and their children during the holiday season.

Sponsors can create a truly unforgettable holiday season for their recipient family by using their creative spirit to purchase, wrap and deliver a personal selection of gifts to each family member.

A message from Holidays From the Heart:

“Having a chronically ill child has a tremendous impact emotionally and financially on the entire family. The Holidays from the Heart Program seeks to acknowledge that burden by helping families with limited financial resources to have a special holiday celebration that they will remember. It is our goal to provide families with lasting memories and also to offer gifts that will improve the quality of their lives. The gifts that we encourage will help families to manage the challenges associated with having a child who is in the hospital.”

A little bit about our sponsored family:

Patient Name: Babygirl Gonzales

Our patient has been hospitalized since birth due to complex congenital heart disease.  She is currently feeding from a feeding tube.  Darlene is a single young mother with two other children, Carlos, 18 months, and Preciosa, 5 years old. For Christmas, the Gonzalez family is asking for bedding, pots/pans, dishes, silverware, diapers, and toys.  We hope we can make this family’s holiday wishes come true by delivering their presents in time for Christmas.

If you would like to help the Gonzales family, please contact our office for more information.  If you would like to sponsor a family of your own, please visit the CHLA Holidays From the Heart website at http://www.holidaysfromtheheart.org/

Stay tuned for more updates about the Gonzales family!

Winner Winner!

Congratulations to VivoPools Orange County Service Manager, Alberto Flores, for winning an iPad at the International Pool and Spa Expo held in Las Vegas earlier this month. Everyone at VivoPools is so excited!

That's him! Congrats Alberto!

Proof of the win

Types of Pools, What Are the Differences?

There are three main types of pool infrastructures: vinyl liner, fiberglass and gunite, and people always ask us, “What’s the difference??”

Vinyl Liners: The best way to explain a vinyl pool is to compare it to an above ground pool (it’s just set in ground).  Like with any pool, it all starts by digging a big hole in the ground. Then, a crew would assemble a metal frame around the perimeter of the whole and secure the bottom with sand. Finally, they attach a vinyl liner to the walls.  This is the cheaper in ground pool option but it does typically need to be replaced every 7-10 years or so.

Fiberglass: Fiberglass pools are pools that are already preformed from a fiberglass composite material.  In order to fit the structure, a construction crew would need to dig a hole that matches the shape and size of the fiberglass pool.  After setting the necessary plumbing and piping, they drop the ready-made pool structure into the prepared hole.  Once the pool is in, they finish it up by hooking up all the equipment and make sure all the electrical wiring is in place before finally adding a deck of some sort (usually concrete) and adding any finishing vanity touches.

Gunite/Shotcrete: This is the most popular type of pool and also the more expensive.  It requires a construction crew to first excavate, then install the internal plumbing and a steel reinforced framework to form the shape of the pool.  After that, a thick coat of gunite (or shotcrete) mix is sprayed on and around the steel bars, creating the pool shell.  After tiles are set, the final phase is to put a smooth coating, better known as plaster, over the rough gunite shell.  There are also various colors of pool plaster to create different looks for your pool.

All pools are an expensive and long-lasting investment.  Make sure you take the right measures to protect your investments and keep your pool a great place for you and your family to enjoy.

Pool Safely by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Pool Safely is the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s center for Pool and Spa safety.  The Commission is dedicated to reducing the number of deaths and injuries related to pools and spas. Here are some important safety tips to keep your children safe.

Stay Close, Being Alert and Watching Children in and Around the Pool

• Never leave a child unattended in a pool or spa and always watch your child when he or she is in or near water
• Teach children basic water safety tips
• Keep children away from pool drains, pipes and other openings to avoid entrapments
• Have a telephone close by when you or your family is using a pool or spa
• If a child is missing, look for him or her in the pool or spa first
• Share safety instructions with family, friends and neighbors

Learning and Practicing Water Safety Skills

• Learn how to swim and teach your child how to swim
• Learn to perform CPR on children and adults, and update those skills regularly
• Understand the basics of life-saving so that you can assist in a pool emergency

Having the Appropriate Equipment for Your Pool or Spa

• Install a four-foot or taller fence around the pool and spa and use self-closing and self-latching gates; ask your neighbors to do the same at their pools.
• Install and use a lockable safety cover on your spa.
• If your house serves as a fourth side of a fence around a pool, install door alarms and always use them. For additional protection, install window guards on windows facing pools or spas.
• Install pool and gate alarms to alert you when children go near the water
• Ensure any pool and spa you use has compliant drain covers, and ask your pool service provider if you do not know
• Maintain pool and spa covers in good working order
• Consider using a surface wave or underwater alarm

Wiggle Waggle Walk

Last weekend, the Vivo Pool Pups, the VivoPools’ team, participated in the annual Wiggle Waggle Walk hosted by the Pasadena Humane Society and SPCA.  We are happy to report that we not only raised almost $1000 for the event, we also got some great excercise along with our pets.  The money raised goes towards the costs associated with food, shelter, veterinary care, adoptions, reunification and many other services provided by the Pasadena Humane Society.  Over 12,000 dogs, cats and other animals pass through thier doors every year and Pasadena Humane does a great job a caring for them.  For more information you can visit http://www.pasadenahumane.org

Hottest Day Ever in LA, literally.

Yesterday, September 27, 2010, was the hottest recorded day for the city of Los Angeles.  With a high of 113 degrees fahrenheit, it was so hot that the city’s thermometer stopped working. So the temperature may very well have been over 113F, but we will never really know.  By lunch, it was so hot that the Los Angeles Unified School District canceled all outdoor activities because of the excessive heat.  Los Angeles is definitely experiencing some odd weather patterns this summer with severe highs and lows within a week of each other.  

I guess swimming is still in season even going into October! But we hope it will begin to cool down for the fall.

Community Outreach: Working Wardrobes in Orange County

VivoPools is a strong advocate of being active in the communities we service.  As a home service provider, we feel connected to our customers and do what we can to establish even more of a community feel.  One such way is through community involvement. 

We recently visited Working Wardrobes, a Costa Mesa based charity working to empower men, women and young adults who are experiencing life crises.  Their mission is to help these people enter the workforce with confidence and the right wardrobe.  Services include a career center, self esteem workshops and of course, professional wardrobing.  We really admire Working Wardrobes for the dedication they put into their programs focusing on life skills and career development.  The follow through and step by step enrichment makes for a much more stable and permanent job placement. 

Will Scott, Operations Manager in the OC area, dropping off some much needed clothing donations

Organizing the clothes!

If you would like to learn more about Working Wardrobes you can visit their website at www.workingwardrobes.org.

Or, if you are interested in making a donation you can visit their offices. The donation center is located in their headquarters at 3030 Pullman Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92626.  What is also great is that you can drop off your donation at any Kona Cleaners in the Orange County area and Kona will clean and deliver the garments to Working Wardrobes for you!

Product Spotlight: Jandy AquaPure Ei Salt Chlorinator

The AquaPure Ei Salt Water Chlorinator is a self-contained sanitizing system that can convert your pool into a salt water one.  Salt water pools are gentler on the skin and many people prefer them over conventional chlorine. However, what most people do not realize is that salt water pools still do generate chlorine.  Chlorine is needed in any pool to help kill harmful bacteria and discourage algae growth.  What a chlorinator does is produce chlorine for the pool so you do not have to buy it and manually add it in.  

What we like about this product is that the cell is able to generate chlorine then revert it back into salt and repeat the cycle.  This way the unit is able to operate efficiently and economically while being environmentally sound.  We also like it for its easy to use features and simple controls.  Also, the installation process requires no cutting or gluing of pipes, which means a lower cost for you!

Variable Speed Pumps

It is common knowledge to set your air conditioning thermostat at a higher temperature to save energy.  However, few pool owners know that pool pumps can also be set in a similar way as to save on energy costs.  Many of the older pools are equipped with single-speed pimps that have higher horsepower motors, but with the higher horsepower comes higher bills.

Now, there are several new products available on the market for variable speed pumps which can be set to run at different speeds depending on usage and needs.  According to the laws of energy, the slower the water moves through the system, the more efficient the energy use.  The idea behind this can be compared to that of a car’s gas mileage, where you get better mileage traveling at 40 mph than at 90 mph. In fact, reducing your pump speeds by half can reduce energy consumption to 1/8th of what was previously used.

Also, many cities and counties offer energy rebates for installing a “greener” pool pump.  Check with your city to see what rebates are available for you.

Why Does My Water Look Green?

Green pool water could be caused by a variety of reasons. The most common ones are:

• Low sanitizer or chlorine level
• Filter may not be running long enough
• Water is not properly balanced (pH and Alkalinity)
• Stabilizer level is low causing quick deterioration of chlorine
• Inadequate or poor circulation

If you notice a green tint in your pool, let your pool technician know and he should be able to help you clear it up in no time.